


Discovery

by Gottahavemyncis



Series: Serendipity [8]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:28:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29915526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gottahavemyncis/pseuds/Gottahavemyncis
Summary: Our story starts at the ranch during the Spring of 2022, and will take us here and there, around and back again. It's been close to a year since the junior Gibbses met Tessa and family in Progeny and nearly 3 years since Fallout and the attack on Washington, DC. A doctor's appointment and a surprise gift lead to a discovery. Rated T, Disclaimer on my profile.
Relationships: Papa Gibbs - Relationship, Tim McGee/Ellie Bishop
Series: Serendipity [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/586993
Comments: 26
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to another adventure in the Serendipity 'verse! Thanks to Alix33 for beta-reading.

Chapter 1

Brynie sighed deeply as her father's phone rang. She knew his job catching bad guys was important but why did the phone always have to ring at dinnertime? At least tonight she'd had time to tell Daddy and Mommy about her spelling test! And maybe Daddy wouldn't want his strawberries. She giggled as her dad tickled under her chin. "Will you guard my strawberries for me? You know how much Jossey loves them!"

They all laughed as baby Joselyn was only 16 months old! With a wink, Tim hurried down the hall to his office to take the call. Once inside, he spoke, "Thanks for waiting, I'm in my office now."

His bosses, Secretary of the Navy Sarah Porter and Director Vance, chuckled, "What were you doing?"

"Defending my bowl of ranch grown strawberries and yogurt from a gang of marauders."

"I hope there are more!"

"Always."

"Good! We won't keep you long, but we have good news and wanted to share it as soon as possible. Is Ellie with the children?"

"Yes, no helpers tonight. But if this isn't classified, I can go back to the gang. They're good at being quiet when they need to be."

He smiled as Leon agreed and walked back to the kitchen. Putting the phone on speaker, he said to his family, "Want to say hello to Secretary Porter and Uncle Leon?"

Grinning, they all said hello, Jossey throwing in a squeal for good measure.

Porter and Vance said hello to them and then asked if they would like to listen to something good happening to their dad. The littles looked at Daddy and Mommy, not sure what that meant while Ty and Brynie called out, "Yes, please!" Ty looked at his siblings, "We need to be quiet, ok?"

Everyone nodded and Secretary Porter decided to jump into the sudden quiet. "Timothy, we're happy to inform you that we're promoting you to Assistant Director of the agency! And I'll be out to see you because for this position, you'll need to be sworn in. Congratulations!"

Ellie cheered and the kids joined her, Ty, Brynie, Lia and Henry doing one of their happy dances around the table. Tim was still in shock, but managed to croak out a 'Thank you' to the SecNav and Leon.

Leon added, with a laugh, "We'll talk more tomorrow. Secretary Porter just received the final approval and we wanted to let you know tonight."

"Thank you for including my family! I already have a dozen questions."

"And I'm sure there will be more by morning. Why don't we have a breakfast meeting, meet me at the bistro at 0700?"

Ellie and the kids nodded their approval and Tim chuckled, "Yes, see you there! Thank you again, I'm, wow, I was not expecting this!"

Ellie thought she could hear the smile in Secretary Porter's voice, "You should have, Timothy, you've certainly earned it! Now better grab those strawberries before your marauders get them."

They disconnected as Byrnie ran to the freezer to retrieve his dessert. She handed her father's dessert bowl back to him. He looked at it, "Thanks, sweetie, good job protecting the strawberries! And my yogurt is still frozen, yay!"

Ty frowned, "Daddy, are you going to call Nonny and Poppy?"

"I'll do that later, snugly boy, right now I want to spend time with all of you."

"Ok!"

After he finished his dessert, they cleaned up the kitchen and the toddlers, Joselyn and Mackie, went to bed after baths, stories and cuddles with their parents. Once they were asleep, Henry picked one of their board games for all of them to play. They rotated so that each of the kids had a turn picking which game to play. Ty and Brynie also knew several card games but Lia and Henry weren't ready to play those yet. Tonight Henry picked his current favorite game and the family had a great time, laughing as they played.

Later, while the littles went through their nightly routine, Ty put the game away. When their parents returned, he and Brynie each read a story aloud, made sure their school work was done and then watched a half hour of TV, a trivia based game show the four of them loved to watch together. While the topics frequently hadn't yet been covered in Ty and Brynie's classes, they sometimes remembered if the answer had appeared on a previous show, they'd read it or heard one or both of their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents mention it.

After all the kids were in bed, Tim and Ellie finally had time to talk about his promotion. He was still somewhat shocked, having had no clue this was in the works.

She kissed him and they cuddled before she reached for his phone, handing it to him. "Better call your parents!"

With an amused look, he pressed his father's contact number.

"Hey, Timson, how's everyone?"

"We're good, Dad. Is Mom nearby?"

"Sure, she's right here, I'll put you on speaker."

"Hi, Mom! Got some news this evening, thought I'd share. SecNav and Leon called to tell me they're promoting me to Assistant Director of the agency." He grinned at the happy and proud sounds. "Thanks! I'm surprised and happy. And there will be a swearing-in ceremony, which Secretary Porter will perform. Don't know when, yet, but it will be here in Albuquerque."

"So proud of you, Elf Lord!"

His mother chuckled, "Me too, baby boy! We owe you hugs and kisses for this!"

His father agreed, asking, "Okay if we tell everyone else? Your grandparents, godparents, Jim and Claire, Lu and Charlie, Tobias?"

"Yeah, sure. Leon's sending out some sort of announcement tonight. The NCIS folks will know in the morning."

"All right, we'll wait until the parade of cars goes through the gate to work tomorrow."

Tim and Ellie both laughed at that and Tim added, "We'll call Barb and Jerry tomorrow, so please don't go overboard."

He laughed as he heard his mother say, "Oh, darn" in the background.

Ellie looked thoughtful and Tim looked at her. She tilted her head, "Maybe we should send out an email tonight. That way the whole family will know at once."

They both laughed when Shannon could be heard to say, "Phooey! I want bragging rights!"

"Mom, you can brag all you want and I'm sure not everyone will see whatever we send out tonight."

His father was laughing now too. "Better hurry, she's making a list!"

"Okay, talk to you tomorrow then. Love you both!"

"Us too, damn proud of you!"

Disconnecting, Tim found his wife was already writing a note. "Tim, we can make it short and sweet."

"Ok, how about this, 'I'm shocked to say that I've been promoted to Assistant Director…blah blah blah. Have no idea what this really means – except more politics!"

Ellie gave him an exasperated look, "Oh poor me, I've earned a promotion? Really?"

Tim made a face, "Yeah, I see your point. All right, let's just say that I have no idea yet what this really means."

Now she laughed at him, "Are you serious about that?"

"What?"

"Honey, I think Vance is grooming you to take his place when he retires. I bet he'll have you going with him to various meetings, sitting in on others he has here, maybe traveling with him to some of the offices to experience what he does."

"Huh. Well, if I can bring the family on some of the more interesting trips, I'll like this promotion a lot more!" He wrapped her in his arms as they fantasized about traveling the globe.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

Friday morning, the man remembered over breakfast that he wasn't going directly into work this morning. He didn't do that often, as the owner and CEO of a thriving company, he felt he should be in the office as much as possible. He held most of his meetings online but believed it was important for his employees to see him working.

After he swallowed a bite of toast, he looked at his daughter. "You have your orthodontist appointment this morning. Your mom went in to work early so I'll take you." His wife was a linguist, teaching high level professional students various languages.

"Ok, Dad. How about I drive?" At 15, his daughter had her driver's permit.

"How about you drive us to school after the appointment? If anyone's looking they'll see you driving your old man's car."

Her face lit up, "Thanks!"

Her 9-year-old brother sighed, "I wish I could learn to drive! It's not fair!"

His sister and father chuckled, "Have to wait until you can reach the pedals, kiddo!"

His sister added, "When I get my license, I'll be able to take you and pick you up from school."

"Cool!"

Their father frowned, "Just you two, no one else. That's the law, kids!"

His daughter nodded, "I know, Dad."

Later, as he sat in the waiting room at the orthodontist's office, he looked around for something to do. He wouldn't use his phone or he'd be flooded with work and he really didn't want to conduct business here. Going through the magazines, he found one that looked interesting and took it back to his chair. The publication was more than two years old but the article promoted on the front cover was something his company was still sponsoring nearly 3 years after the nuclear attack, that is funding and helping to raise funds to help evacuees find employment that would bring in the same or more income than before the Attack.

As businesses formerly in the Strike Zone found new locations, many of them contacted their former employees to return to work. Then the challenge was funding the move for the employee. In most cases, housing deposits were either waived or set off a few months to give the employees and their families a chance to catch up. Many of those evacuated by plane or boat still didn't have much more than what they'd brought with them three years ago and the funding helped them rent or buy homes, furnish them as well as the more basic needs.

Current reports stated that half of those evacuated by the government were back at work, in positions earning at or near their pre-Attack income. It had taken a tremendous effort by everyone involved and most of the US business community had done their fair share, whether by contributing funds, services, resources, products or a mix of those.

He thumbed through the magazine until he reached the article, reading the first page. Turning to the next page, he started reading but his eye was caught by a photo embedded with the story. He gave it a casual glance, he'd already seen photos of the converted shipping containers, and then looked again. Apparently, the people pictured were some of the folks involved.

Blinking, he looked a third time and then closed his eyes, counting to 30. With his work, he had an ongoing battle with dry eyes and he was sure that was the problem, he wasn't seeing things clearly.

When he opened them, he looked again at the photo and felt his heart beating faster. As his heart rate jumped, he was momentarily confused by what he was seeing and what was happening to him.

Putting the magazine down, he worked to get his breathing under control and then walked to the water cooler for a cup of cold water. That helped and he stood drinking it. Before returning to his chair, he asked the receptionist if he could take the magazine, pointing out the age of the publication. She nodded, happy to have someone take an older item, saving her some work.

By the time his daughter was done, he was breathing normally and said nothing to her, although he held onto the magazine as if it was the most precious thing in the world. With a smile, she took the car keys and drove them to her high school, waving to a friend the man thought should be in class.

Back in the driver's seat, he headed into town to his office. He nodded to the receptionist, thanking her for 'running the business' that morning. It was an old joke between them, she'd been with the company since he first started and was an important asset to the business. She'd retired from a technical position within the company, returning months later to temporarily fill in when their receptionist left unexpectedly. That was nearly 10 years ago.

Before he walked upstairs to his office, he stopped to look at the mural, a special _Star Wars_ scene he'd commissioned to be painted after getting permission from George Lucas before the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney. When Lucas himself and several of the cast showed up for the grand unveiling of the painting, he'd been thrilled. Now he stared at the figures in the painting, wondering.

Upstairs in his office, he asked his assistant to hold any calls except from his family and pulled out the magazine, reading the article once again. Blinking back tears, he touched the photo. But looking at it didn't help and, his eyes still full of tears, he closed the magazine and tucked it away in a drawer. He had work to do and no more time to waste on impossible fantasies.

He was deep into a review of a project plan late that afternoon when his assistant told him his wife was on the line. His face crumpled in worry when he heard what she had to say. She was in the emergency room of a local hospital, waiting to find out what was wrong with his mother. He felt tendrils of fear wrapping around him as she described finding his mother slumped in the bathroom of her home, sobbing. She'd been cancer-free for 4 years after several months of grueling treatment. This afternoon, she'd found evidence it might have returned and called her daughter-in-law. Neither woman wanted to wait for an appointment, thus the ER visit. Tests were in progress and her oncologist had been notified.

As days passed, the tests revealed the presence of new growths. Treatment was started as soon as possible but within a few weeks the man's mother knew she wasn't going to win the battle. Trying to adopt a philosophical attitude, she'd been given far more in life than she ever expected and had made the most of the past four years, she insisted on stopping treatment in favor of palliative care.

She went home. Home was where she'd raised her son, calmed his nightmares, gave him all the love and attention he needed. Now it was time to get everything in order. She'd started doing that when she was first diagnosed but dropped it when treatment was effective. Now she picked up the threads again, making sure her beloved son, daughter-in-law and her precious grandchildren would inherit everything with minimal fuss.

With more assets than she'd realized, she was pleased that her children would have plenty to live comfortably. There would be enough for her son to expand his business if he decided to go through with his plans to open another location. Enough for her daughter-in-law to pursue her interests and plenty for her grandchildren's education. Feeling her life forces ebbing, she met with her attorney and was relieved when everything was signed and done. As she'd established a family trust shortly after bringing her boy home, there wouldn't be any problems or delays; no probate would be necessary. Within weeks of finalizing everything with her attorney, she was gone, her loved ones by her side.

Her family was devastated. Her son lost his birth family when he was young and for the rest of his childhood, his adopted mother was the force that held him together. She was mother, father, best friend. When he called her the second week of college to talk about the wonderful girl he'd met, his mother smiled happily and breathed a sigh of relief, finally there would be two of them to nurture him. Her premonition proved right as her boy and his love were married before the end of their freshman year of college.

Now, after burying their loved one, the man and his family worked through their grief, trying to find some sense of normalcy. More than a month later, the man went looking for something in his desk and found the magazine. Staring at it, he came to a decision. Life was too short and he didn't want to risk leaving the children without family. While his in-laws were healthy, his wife was an only child although she had cousins with whom she was close. He huffed, it wasn't just the children, he needed to know.

Taking a deep breath, he opened his laptop, initiating a Google search. One of the first references he saw was for one of his favorite authors. Curious, he clicked on the link embedded in the reference. That took him to a fan site where he found a discussion about the author's name being an anagram. He wanted to pound his desk in frustration and grief, he'd never even wondered at the name!

Back to Google, he looked at more of the results, finding a notice in the Legal Notices of _The Washington Post_ dated in July of 2015 that the man in the photo had changed his name. He stopped breathing for a few seconds as he realized this was real and his brother would have been at Ground Zero for the Attack. Finally he remembered the article in the magazine was written after the missiles struck. The topic was Evacuee housing!

Once he calmed enough to return to just the jitters he'd felt as soon as he looked at the photo again, he kept searching for more information. He was certain this was his brother, the middle name in the newspaper's Legal Notices was all the proof he needed. At some point, the magazine article crept back into his consciousness and he looked at it; he had information sitting right in front of him!

So nervous that he googled the magazine instead of his brother, he was astounded to see a lawsuit listed against the journalist who'd written the article. The newer article, published months after the original article, said all unsold or subscription copies not yet mailed had been pulled and the photo had been removed.

He stopped at that and looked at the magazine he'd taken from the doctor's office, shaking his head at the torn cover where the subscriber's name and address label had likely been.

He made a noise to himself, remembering his wife's story, back in the 90s, of a friend paying another friend to steal that friend's mother's magazine that she subscribed to, one that had an unauthorized nude photo of a young, popular film star. By court order, the magazines that were to be sold publicly had already been taken off the sales racks.

Shaking his head, he returned to the present. Instead of searching for his sibling, he googled the two ranches who were still providing homes for Evacuees.

That gave him two names: the Ortiz ranch and Rancho La Serenidad. He smiled, wondering if a fan of the TV series _Firefly_ came up with the name 'Serenidad', meaning serenity in English. He loved that show, with the ship named _Serenity,_ and he could imagine his brother also loving it. Ignoring the Ortiz ranch, he started looking at La Serenidad. When he found a list of owners, he smiled and then cried when he saw his brother's new name, the one listed in the Washington newspaper for his brother, as one of the ranch owners.

Now he knew that his brother was probably living on a ranch in New Mexico. _Living_ , his big brother was alive! He wondered why he'd changed his name or at least why he'd waited to change it as an adult. Looking again at the list of owners, he saw a few other people with the same surname. He frowned, hoping it wasn't some sort of cult or commune.

Before he closed out his Google results, he reviewed one other interesting reference, about the U.S. State Department evacuation of U.S. citizens from Bacia when that country had expelled everyone who wasn't native born. Apparently the same ranch, La Serenidad, was involved with it, they housed the refugees. Reading the article published in the _Albuquerque Journal_ , he smiled when he saw that someone in the Gibbs family took in a toddler who'd been abandoned in Bacia as an infant. As an adopted child, he loved seeing other orphans being given families. So even if this was a cult or commune, they still seemed to have good hearts.

Finding a phone number for the ranch, he wrote it down although he had no plans to call. Thinking about writing a letter, he shook his head, he needed to talk with Laurel, his wife, before he did anything else. This was a huge discovery, one that would change their lives and as much as he wanted to jump on the first flight to New Mexico, his family needed to know.

He smiled at that, anticipating telling his daughter Sara Hope and his son Timothy Andrew, both named for his lost siblings, that their uncle was alive.

Sighing, he let his mind ask the question he'd been avoiding, was their baby sister Sarah also alive? And then he wondered why he'd been lied to about their deaths. While he was still in the hospital, his stepmother had told him that they'd died in the crash. She'd even cried with him.

He thought about looking for her but shuddered, he did not want anything more to do with that woman. Over the years, he'd wondered if she'd had something to do with the hit and run. He rolled his eyes at himself, that was another thing he'd avoided for years, asking for the police report on the crash, finding out if they'd caught anyone.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

In the weeks since his promotion and swearing-in ceremony, Tim had learned more about his new responsibilities and was busier than ever. Vance had delegated several things to him, among them complete responsibility for agency evaluations. That meant he would have the final say on the evaluations, quarterly and annually, of every NCIS employee, excepting his own, those employees he was related to and those of Director Vance.

There were a few other items that he hadn't looked into yet. The biggest change was that he was now responsible for all of the agency's Cyber Crime Units, wherever they were located.

He'd met a few of the managers before his previous promotion to Regional Director of the CCUs but additional managers had been promoted or hired since then, as well as new staff.

Although he thought physical travel to meet and greet was probably a waste of agency resources, he hadn't said that to anyone but his wife and father. He was amused when Boss-Dad said it was a good idea to meet everyone in person at least once, that people would be more committed to the work once they met him and understood they were a team with the Field Agents.

As Ellie had theorized, the plan was for him to travel with Vance to the spots he'd be visiting and those were the units with managers. He didn't bring up the idea of his family traveling with him but his boss did. The second status meeting with Vance after his promotion, the director asked him if he had any questions and then grinned at him. Tim frowned, "Am I missing something? Should I have questions?"

"Probably not about the job. I was thinking more personal questions."

Tim gave him a look and then started laughing. "Ok, busted. Yes, as long as Ellie and I pay for everything, are we allowed to bring the kids, have a vacation for at least one of these trips?"

"It's about time, Assistant Director Gibbs! Yes, of course. The agency will pay for your, and I mean Timothy's, airfare to and from and probably one night of lodging and meals. What you'll want to do is find out how much it will cost to fly everyone on the agency jet and then pay that upfront. You'll have to fly home commercial unless one of the government jets is nearby and there's room."

Tim's eyes nearly bulged out, "We can all fly on the jet – a government jet?"

"Yes and you'll want to scrupulously document your payments. Did you think Lara and the kids never come with me? And who do you think goes on those junkets to warm beaches with politicians in the middle of winter? The smart ones take their families. And nowadays they'd better be able to prove they paid for their expenses but in the 'old days', that was pretty hit or miss from what I've heard. Now, where does the Gibbs' clan want to go and when? I'm assuming your parents and maybe Ellie's will be joining you?"

"Athens and early summer, shortly after the kids are out of school, but not this year. It would be too difficult with the littles. Another year and we'll only have one, if any, in diapers. Mackie will be a preschooler, Henry and Lia's current age now, and those two will be starting kindergarten. And the older four will have more interest in what we're doing. Right now, that's really only Ty and Brynie and that doesn't seem fair to the others. Not to mention babies need naps which makes sightseeing problematic."

Vance smiled, "That's very much in line with what Lara and I are planning. The twins are too little right now and wouldn't have a clue where we were or care about sightseeing. In that case, how about you and I go this year before the kids get out of school?

"If we fly from here to Athens, that's about 13 ½ hours, then we'll stay for 2 or 3 nights so the flight crew can get their off hours in; the pilots are only allowed to fly so many hours at a time and have to have a corresponding minimum number of hours off. I visited Naples last year and there's no CCU there or in Marseille, so we can have a brief Skype meeting and wave at them from the air. Then we'll work our way back from Athens, first to Rota and then London. From Athens to Rota is a little over 3 hours, so we'll leave Athens early and be in Rota for a meeting and lunch before flying to London, where we'll stay over 2 nights, there's a hotel not far from the office.

"It's about 10 ½ hours home from London, with a 7 hour difference in time, so if we leave London early Friday we'll reach home the same day, around 0930 here. So we can leave Saturday evening and be home on Friday or leave on Sunday evening and get back Saturday. What's your preference?"

That was an easy choice and Tim grinned as he replied, "Leave Saturday evening, back on Friday."

"I agree, then we'll be in our respective homes by 1030, the latest, and we can sleep the rest of the day. I think it's easier on our families if we're home by the weekend. Not that either of us will be worth much, don't plan anything for the weekend we get home. Now, any places you want to have company this year?"

"Pearl or Australia, but just Ellie if we can arrange for enough people to watch the kids."

"Good idea. That will be a much longer trip. Pearl is usually our first stop and only overnight. Maybe we can make it our last and Ellie can meet you there. That trip, we'll do it all, Japan, Singapore, Australia and then Pearl. That'll take close to 2 weeks, including the time off for the flight crews. It's a lot of flying. If you can muster up enough child care for Australia, we'll fly to Pearl, overnight, then possibly Japan, overnight, Singapore, overnight there and then fly on to Perth the next morning. Ellie can come with us on the flights over and then you fly yourselves home from Australia. Once you've had a taste of traveling, you'll probably want to visit and explore Singapore and Japan. Those are very long flights!"

Tim nodded, "Ellie might want to meet us at Pearl if we can make that our last stop and then she and I will fly home from there."

"Great!" He smiled again, "I thought your grandfather might want to tag along on the Florida trip, see how his place looks down there."

Tim smiled, "Sounds good. In the winter?"

"Yes; if we plan it right, might be the kids' winter break and you could take them to Disney World. Also, we're flying to Boston to visit the Northeast Field Office, then on to New York to stay over. Lara is going with me, see if Ellie wants to come too. Lara's a whiz at scoring last minute Broadway tickets."

Tim grinned, "And that will be when?"

"Autumn, after the summer tourists and before the cold weather arrives."

"I could get used to this!"

"Yes, it sounds good but we will be working and remember, when you want to stay over, you'll have to pay for everything for anyone but you and that's only for the day or days you're working. Your roundtrip flight and however many overnights we'd have would be paid by the agency. In Greece, for instance, the agency will pay for 2 or 3 nights lodging for you. I always visit other offices on the way to or from."

"Sounds good, lots to think about, to plan!"

Vance smiled, "Glad to hear it."

When he told Ellie that night, they were so excited they did happy dances, copying their children. They thought they'd be on for Pearl when that trip happened and New York City in the fall. Ellie didn't want to be away from the kids for a vacation in Australia, she said that was too far away until they were older and could come with them. And as much as they both wanted to take the family to Greece, it just didn't make sense at the current time.

In three years, none of their children would be in diapers, nor would there be any need for naps, except perhaps jet lag naps. They'd all have more fun. As Tim wasn't required to go every year, he figured there would be enough staff turnover in 3 years to justify another swing through. If not, then they might go on their own.

Leon's assistant, Pam Cook, had already reserved the jet for Leon and Tim's trek to Europe so they knew when they'd be going, they'd leave on Saturday, the 14th of May and return that Friday.

In the meantime, Tim's literary agent scheduled Gemcity book signing sessions in Monterey, a coastal city in northern California. Ellie wanted to go with him but when they thought about how much help they'd need for Tim's future business travel, she decided to pass.

She also needed to watch how many vacation days she took, though this trip would have only used one personal day. She had plenty but with 6 children there was always the risk of a sick child or the whole family coming down with something. She and Tim rotated when one of the kids was sick so that neither parent took the full load. However, Tim had been working years longer in the federal system than she had and therefore had more personal leave.

The book signing sessions would require that Tim leave Thursday after work and return on Sunday although if things worked out, there would be a change to his itinerary. A new Cyber Crimes Unit, with a staff of 24, including a manager, was scheduled to open for business in San Francisco during the next few weeks and if Tim could ever get a firm date for the opening, he wanted to fly into San Francisco to meet his new team and then go on to the book signing.

As it was only a 2-hour drive to Monterey, he planned to rent a car. And he might pay a visit to Golden Gate National Cemetery, where his stepparents and little brother were buried.

Ellie grimaced when he said that; she did not want him to be alone that day! When she suggested he ask his dad go with him, his face lit up. "Do you think Mom will mind?"

"You know she hates leaving home unless most of us are with her or it's a romantic getaway to somewhere she's been before. I guess that's left over from their time in WITSEC."

"Good point. That'll leave you short, though."

She smiled, "We'll be okay. The kids will be in school or day care. I'll drive the van in, if I get stuck I'll either work from home or Maggie, Tony, Jimmy or Bob can drive the van home with all the ranch kids. We've done it before. Worst comes to worst, your mom can drive in, swap cars with me and take the kids home."

"All right, just feels weird."

"I know, sweetie. And I know you'll worry about us, no matter how well we're doing!"

He grinned at that. "Born worrywart, that's me!"

She shook her head, "No, I think Jethro's right, that was forced on you when you were a little older than Jossey is!"

He kissed her, "Nothing we can do about that now, except to make different mistakes with our kids. Hopefully not as thoughtless or life-affecting but you know we are human."

Huffing, she grabbed him and that was, happily, the end of that discussion.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Virtual hugs to all of you. Be well and stay safe.

Chapter 2

Delighted to spend time with his son, Jethro readily accepted the invitation to join Tim on his jaunt to California, although his wife wasn't thrilled. "Leroy Jethro, please be careful out there, both of you! Bad things happen to Gibbses in that state!"

"I promise, sweetheart! You don't want Tim to go to the cemetery alone, do you?"

"As you're always pointing out to me, he is a grown man, they're all adults. And he is a well-trained, armed federal agent. But no, I do not want him to go alone, I don't want him to go to the cemetery at all! They were not his parents, they bought him!"

"Honey, yes, that's true but you can't erase his little brother. He spent 8 years with Patrick and I don't think he's ever allowed himself to really mourn him."

She nodded and was folded into Jethro's strong arms. While she was very fond of Penny, Maisie, Jim and the Cranes, the mention of Dan or Lily McGee angered her almost as much as any mention of her late unlamented mother. She appreciated that Jethro hadn't mentioned them now. She had nothing against Patrick, she wished he'd survived, they would have adopted him, too. However, when the name McGee was mentioned, her brain went straight to Dan and Lily.

The days before they left passed quickly. Jossey and Mackie loved going to day care, playing with their peers and learning all kinds of new things. Mackie especially loved it when his birthyear peers, their cousins, were there with them. Some days they stayed home with their aunts, uncles, great-grandparents and grandparents. That was just as much fun and their adults loved spending time with them. Lia and Henry were preschoolers and had half day classes, spending the afternoons playing with their peers, their younger siblings and friends. Brynie and Ty, some of their cousins and more of their friends still went to the afterschool center after their school day was over, playing with the other kids and doing whatever homework they had.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

As Tim's new unit in San Francisco would open the day before he and Dad were scheduled to leave, they changed their plans to be there for the 'Grand Opening'. Tim's publicist gleefully added a book signing session for Thursday.

With no NCIS office in San Francisco, the CCU was housed within the State Department's offices in that city. Tim chuckled when he told his dad about selecting the site, "There were spaces the right size at the IRS, within the Federal courthouse and the FBI but I wanted them someplace safer. The DoD worked out a deal with State and I told Alexia, the manager, to have them wear NCIS caps or jackets if there are protesters. Or signs that they're not with the State Department. Turns out they'll be able to use a separate entrance and exit, which will help."

His father chuckled, picturing Tim's staff sneaking out of the building wearing signs that said they were not with the State Department. When he suggested having t-shirts made for the San Francisco CCU that said 'I'm not with them!', Tim laughed.

They flew out on the earliest flight Wednesday morning and were in the new office by mid-morning, in time for the coffee and pastries arranged for Day One of operations. Jethro grinned like a loon as he stood in the back of the room, listening to his son introduce himself as 'Assistant Director' Gibbs, welcoming them to their new office and some to the agency. Tim smiled as he shook hands. "Don't eat too many pastries, lunch is on the agency today!"

One of the techs had transferred in from Seattle and Jethro recognized her as a former Navy Yard denizen. She'd smiled happily as they walked in the door and Tim nodded to her. Later, he made a point of talking with her, "Marcy, it's good to see you, glad you've made the jump here."

She grinned, "I've always wanted to live in San Francisco, they have fog in the summer, no snow in the winters and a lot less rain than Seattle!"

"It's more expensive though."

She tilted her head, "Yes, but I won't be paying for the apartment alone. My boyfriend moved with me, he was able to transfer with his company. So we have double the temporary housing time. We're hoping to find something south or east, close to the trains or BART, the rapid transit system, so we can take the train or this version of a subway to and from work. Although if we found something close to the bay north of here, we could take the ferry, that would be a lot of fun!"

During the formal meeting, Tim told his staff about some of the changes he anticipated happening in the next year and then took 45 minutes to answer their questions before they sat down for their catered lunch. Wishing everyone good luck, the Gibbses left after lunch, driving the rental to the cemetery a few miles south of San Francisco.

Jethro kept a close eye on his child as they approached the McGee family gravesite. Parking the car, they walked onto the lawn towards the fence surrounding the graves of Lily, Dan and Patrick McGee. As they entered the gate, Tim grabbed his father's arm and hung on. "I'm here for Patrick. I know Dan and Lily are not my parents, that they were accomplices in my kidnapping and that Dan McGee was a horribly careless parent. But Patrick was my brother and best friend, he's the one I'm here for."

Jethro wrapped his arms around his son. "I know, sweet boy, I know. I hope you find some peace here, after all these years."

"36 years, Dad. We were roughly Tyler and Brynie's ages and just as close." Bending down, he touched Patrick's gravestone and then sank to his knees, letting out a sob.

Knowing Tim had never had a chance to mourn his little brother, Jethro squatted next to him, holding on, unable to keep his own tears at bay while his boy cried for his little brother, his best friend.

When Tim's tears finally slowed, his father handed him several tissues and a bottle of water. Tim chuckled, a rusty chuckle but a chuckle nonetheless, "I usually have baby wipes with me."

Dad helped him up and Tim stood for a moment looking at his brother's grave. "You'd have liked him, Dad. He was funny, full of life, imaginative. We always had great adventures together, playing Batman, Spiderman, Superman, Wolverine, Tarzan, Zorro, cowboys, Navy, spacemen, the Hardy boys. Did I ever tell you that?" When Dad shook his head, Tim smiled at the memories, "Oh yeah, we were the boy detectives."

Pulling his son to him again, Jethro kissed him, holding on tight.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NICS

Patrick shook his head at himself, he had no idea why he needed to do this. He knew Tim was alive, it was simply a matter of communicating with him. Why did he feel this was so important and what did it have to do with his brother being alive?

He'd flown to San Francisco for a business meeting this morning, renting a car at the airport to drive himself into the city instead of his usual Uber ride.

After his meeting was successfully concluded, his company landing a lucrative new contract, he left after the celebratory lunch, barely able to tolerate sitting through it. Something was pulling him away, although he hadn't a clue what it was. Saying he wanted to get going on the new project, rather than staying for another meeting and a long and probably alcohol-fueled dinner, he made his escape.

While he was driving back to the airport, he made a slight detour. He'd never been here before but he knew where it was, his mother told him where his family was buried when he was 15. She'd offered to take him there but he'd never wanted to go and he still wasn't sure why it felt so important. He found the name directory and drove to his family's plot. He was surprised at the fence, that was kind of sweet and then he blinked in more surprise. When he entered the family gravesite, he spotted footprints in the ground and frowned, wondering who had been here recently. Then he shrugged, there must be maintenance people, maybe they checked the sites routinely.

There was a headstone for his mother, Lily, as well as his father, Dan. He knew Lily had died in Puerto Rico when he was an infant and guessed someone, maybe the grandparents, had put a memorial stone here for her. Thinking of his grandparents made him clench his jaw in anger and grief. Shaking that off, he looked around the plot again, noticing a lot of empty space and wondering about that. When he looked a little further, he saw a headstone for him.

Finally forcing himself to look at his headstone, he felt the tears as he saw what was inscribed. "Patrick Barry McGee, loving son, brother, grandson, nephew and godson. Sorely missed by his loving grandparents, uncles and godparents. Godspeed, sweet boy, we'll always love and miss you."

Did that mean they hadn't hated him for living as Natalie had told him and his mom? That they hadn't wished he'd died and Tim or Sarah had lived? Or were they feeling guilty by the time they wrote out the words for the headstone, wanting to cover up their true feelings? 8-year-old Patrick would have believed that, 44-year-old Patrick wasn't so sure. Had they believed he was dead?

They hadn't mentioned Tim or Sarah in the 'missed by' part, did that mean they believed Tim and Sarah were dead, too? He looked but there wasn't a headstone for Sarah, she might also be alive! But if their relatives believed them dead, why weren't there headstones for them?

Confused and heartsick, Pat climbed back in his rental. He sat for several minutes before deciding he was all right to drive. It was only a few minutes to the airport anyway.

Except he didn't fly home, he drove. He needed time to absorb everything and he didn't feel like dealing with the usual airport hassles or sitting with strangers even if only for a few minutes. After canceling his flight reservation, he let the rental car agency know that he'd return the car to their location at the Monterey airport. Then he drove home.

NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS

With Dad driving, the Gibbs' trip to Monterey passed quickly. They found their hotel and checked in, texting Ellie and Shannon that they'd arrived safely. Neither were hungry, it was only 1500 here, only an hour's difference from home, and they'd had a big lunch.

After unpacking, they decided to do a little sightseeing and drove down to Carmel. Noticing how close the beach was, Tim found a parking space and they walked to the shoreline, glad they'd brought jackets. Walking on the sand, listening to the waves felt great and they walked briskly for what Tim's watch said was 6 miles. Now they were hungry and with the time difference, it was close to their normal dinner hour. Walking back into the village, they saw a café filling up with what looked like locals and decided to check it out.

Nearly 90 minutes later, they exited, relaxed, smiling and laughing, their appetites satisfied and Tim's emotional balance restored. As they walked back down the street to the car, they passed stores and art galleries. As they walked by one of the galleries, Jethro snagged the sleeve of Tim's shirt. "Hang on."

Tim turned to see his father looking happily at a painting of a clipper ship at sea showcased in the window. It was so vividly done he swore he could see the waves moving, the ship cutting through them.

The shop was closed so Tim took a photo of the shop name, address and phone number on the door and then managed a photo of the painting. Dad would have plenty of time to wander while he was signing books for fans. If he didn't buy the painting, Tim thought he'd buy it for him and have it shipped home, give it to him for Father's Day. He'd talk to Ellie about it, certain she'd like the idea.

Back at the hotel, they went for a swim in the pool before walking back upstairs to their room. Tomorrow they were meeting their friend Al Balboa, formerly of the DC Navy Yard, for lunch. Around their lunch date they would see some of the sights before Tim's first book-signing session at 1600. Friday, he'd have two sessions, the first from 1100 to 1300, the second one from 1530 to 1730. His last session was Saturday from 1200 to 1500. He'd already warned his father he'd need to soak his hand between sessions, he'd brought a bowl and supplies with him. The books were already stamped with Gemcity's signature and Tim would add a personal note for each fan. Jethro grimaced when he heard that, he'd had no idea book signing was painful but then he'd never really thought about it. "I'll massage your hand if that'll help?"

"Thanks, it will. Ellie usually does it. I have a heat wrap with me too. Goes in the microwave for a few seconds and on my hand for 15 minutes. Feels like heaven."

"Has it always been this bad?"

Tim's lips twisted as he shook his head. "No, some of the nerves in my left arm were damaged when that dog mangled my wrist and forearm and it's affected my hand. The surgery to repair them is too risky, I could lose function, and back in the day it would have kept me out of the field for up to 10 months. Most things don't bother me, for instance keyboarding is fine, but holding a pen and writing for any length of time is painful."

"Damn." Jethro wanted to turn back time and change the day the drug dog mauled Tim. He didn't say anything else. The dog attack and what happened and didn't happen afterward was one of the problems they'd worked through years ago and there wasn't anything more to say. Although he was surprised there was a consequence he hadn't known about.

When he said that, Tim's eyes widened, "I never even thought of it! I only do book signings a few times a year, it never even occurred to me. I'm sorry, Dad."

Jethro wrapped his arm around his son's shoulders. "It's all right, Elf Lord. I was just surprised."

Along with everything else they'd done that day, the walk on the beach and the swim had given them enough exercise and fresh air that both men slept well that night. The next morning, Jethro woke to find his son soaking his hand in a mystery solution. Tim said it was a mix of Epsom salts, eucalyptus, aloe vera and other items he'd added over the years. It didn't smell bad and it helped Tim, that was all Jethro needed to know. He watched as Tim made sure he had a bottle with a roller top of a topical pain relieving product with him, along with pain patches, several pens and a stack of business cards, these reading 'Thom E Gemcity' rather than the 'Assistant Director Timothy Gibbs' cards he'd used yesterday. Jethro shook his head, "Don't know how you keep all this straight in your head, Timson!"

Tim chuckled, "Long years of practice. And I try to never mix Tim and Thom the same day. Not with work, anyway."

"So you don't do book signings and agency work the same day?"

"I haven't had to yet! I have to get into a certain mindset to be Thom. I only created the name for some anonymity, never dreamed I'd need a separate persona to go with the name!"

"Is it like acting?"

"Mm, not what I think of acting. It's really just Tim with a different name and profession. The profession is the tricky part. For example, I'm used to being a cop and have to force myself not to profile everyone waiting in line for me. Even though I'm not a profiler."

"Sure you are. After all these years, doesn't matter whether you've had formal training, we're all decent profilers or we wouldn't have made it this long."

"Never thought of it that way."

"I understand what you mean, though. You have to be Thom and he's a writer, not a fed. Mostly."

"Yep, that's the tickler, the 'mostly'. And I'm uneasy because I don't have a sidearm on me. I follow rule 9 but I feel naked without the Sig."

Dad made a face, "Tell me about it! It's been worth it to return to work just to be able to legally carry!"

"Yeah, I remember from our days in WITSEC how weird it was. Wonder if we'll be able to carry when we're out of the country?"

"I know someone who can answer that."

Tim grinned, "Another question for Leon!" He flexed his left hand. "All right, it's been 90 minutes and I'm hungry. You ready?"

He laughed at the sound he got in return and the two men headed out to find a café open early. There was one two blocks down and they slid into a booth, smiling as they again saw locals.

Before they left home, they'd made a list of places to see, activities they wanted to do and they started on those as soon as it was late enough for anything to be open.

Taking advantage of the early morning and some online tips about navigating in tourist-popular Monterey, they drove to a street a few blocks from the wharf, finding free parking. At the wharf, they quickly found the place they wanted, a two-hour kayak tour around Monterey Bay. Both men were experienced kayakers; Jethro and Shannon had been ocean kayaking in California many years ago and on Chesapeake Bay more recently, while Tim and Ellie had kayaked on both the C&O Canal and the Potomac River in DC.

This morning, father and son were in the first group out at 9:00 AM; Tim taking his ginger root and snapping on his sea bands beforehand. With only four in the group in addition to their guide, they felt like they had the bay to themselves although there were plenty of fishing boats out farther. They saw a large variety of fish, mammals and exotic birds. They even spotted a couple of whales as the guide explained that California, and in particular Monterey Bay, is one of the few places where whales can be seen year-around. Along with the spectacular views, the trip was fun and a decent workout.

Each commented later how good it felt to be near and in the ocean. While they loved New Mexico, the people, the culture and the weather, Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac and the various waterways were high on the list of things they missed about their former home.

Back on dry land, they visited Cannery Row, making stops to purchase a few souvenirs. Jethro pointed out a restaurant that specialized in locally brewed beers and they added it to the list of places to come back to. Finally, they returned to the car and made their way to the local NCIS office.

After the book signing, they'd take a walk on the beach, Tim wanted to at least get his feet wet. Tomorrow, they'd rent one or two of the individual little sea cars and have an open-air tour. They'd seen them advertised, saw a couple of them on the street this morning and it looked like fun.

After being introduced to the agents and staff of the Monterey NCIS staff, they followed Balboa to an out-of-the way seafood restaurant, definitely frequented by locals. The Gibbs men grinned at each other, they were doing well finding the best places to eat.

Lunch with their former squad room mate was great. After congratulating Tim on his promotion and teasing Jethro unmercifully about various things, Al Balboa told Tim a few Leroy Jethro stories he hadn't yet heard. That was fun and Tim laughed until his sides hurt. Then Balboa turned the tables and teased Tim about including him as a background character in his books. He'd learned that from Rick Carter after the chapter presentation in the shelter by the people behind the characters.

When they'd stopped laughing, Tim caught him up on all the agency headquarters news and gossip. He'd made sure to check with Tony and Bob for the latter. While neither were gossipmongers, they always seemed to know what was going on.

Once Balboa returned to work, the Gibbses went back into Monterey, spending hours in the Monterey Bay Aquarium, stopping to buy stuffed toys for all of the Gibbs' grandchildren, the Palmer kids, Hannah Hubbard and the Vance twins. They found trinkets for the teens, too. Tim found books about the denizens of the aquarium, suited for various age groups and bought a few for his children. When he found some fun little desk toys, he bought enough for his wife, siblings, in-laws, friends and the Albuquerque CCU. They shipped everything home.

Walking around the area shops afterward, they bought a few more things. Tim found a pretty necklace he knew Ellie would love, he'd add it to his stash of presents for her birthday, coming up at the end of the month. Jethro found a book of poems for Shannon. Finally, they returned to the hotel for another hand-soaking for Tim before his first signing session.

Two hours later, they parked near the bookstore. Jethro initially planned to take the rental car and wander while Tim worked. However, when they entered and he spotted the large selection of Westerns and DIY project books he smiled, waving his son off to the front of the store. Tim made a note on his phone; one of his next Tibbs books might be a Western. He wasn't sure how he was going to present it, whether Tibbs would dream the whole thing or he'd just set it in the 1900's with the current characters; he'd have to see what worked best.

Now, after seeing that painting yesterday, he thought about that western and how he would frame the story. Smiling, he jotted down a few notes to himself. That would be fun!

The bookstore staff already had Tim's table set up with stacks of his new book, also including several of each of the Deep Six series. Tim would sit at the far end of the long table to autograph the books. He stood for now, pulling out his favorite pens and a few personal items; he had this down to a science and enjoyed meeting his readers. Sometimes someone in the front of the line would ask him a question and he'd answer loudly enough for everyone inside the store to hear him. If there were people waiting outside for what he considered too long a time, he'd ask someone take orders for a hot or cold beverage, depending on the weather, and have them delivered, his treat. He also liked to take quick breaks and say hello to those in line, thank them for coming out to meet him. Especially in places like this, a small city with an independent bookseller dealing in new and used books and people were willing to spend a little more time to speak with him.

An hour later, Tim looked up at the next person in line. As the woman handed him her book, he smiled, saying, "Who would you like me to address this to?"

"Oh, it's for me, I'm 'Becca."

"With a 'c' or 'k' or both?"

"Sorry, I'm not being very helpful! With two c's, please." She spelled it out.

"Sure!" He signed the book "To Becca with two cc's" with a winking eye smiley face and looked up at her, noticing what looked like an employee ID on a lanyard around her neck. "Wicket? What's that?"

"Geesh, what a geek! I forgot to remove my employee ID. It's the name of the company I work for, Wicket."

"Hey, don't knock geeks, I'm proud to be one! Is that here in town?"

"Yes, it's a tech company, over on Soledad, off Munras."

Tim smiled, "Interesting name!"

She chuckled, "It's from _Star Wars_ , the original movies."

Tim nodded with a grin, "Yes, I recognized it."

"You should come by, there's a _Star Wars'_ themed mural in the lobby."

"Sounds like fun, how late is the building open?"

"Usually until 6."

"Thanks, Becca, I just might do that."

Beckoning to the next person, he continued signing. After he was done with the session, Tim dug his dad out of the Home Improvement/DIY section of the bookstore where he was ogling photos of a hot tub surrounded by glass walls. There were several books piled by the stool he was perched on; with a glance, Tim saw a mix of DIY and westerns.

Tim looked over his shoulder at the hot tub, "Hey, I like that! Are you thinking to build it off the back porch?"

"Don't know, be great to have access in the winter without going outside. Think I'll buy the book."

"Great! Hey, today or tomorrow, there's a business here I'd like to visit."

"A business? A store?"

"No, it's a tech company called "Wicket", which was a favorite word of my brother Pat and me. Wicket W. Warrick is a character, an Ewok, in the original _Star Wars_ trilogy. We loved saying the word Wicket, it drove Natalie crazy and we liked the character. One of my fans today told me the lobby of this company has a _Star Wars_ ' themed mural with Wicket W. Warrick. Sounds silly but I'd love to see it."

Dad looked at him as if he had spinach in his teeth and then started laughing. "Oh yeah, let's go. I can hardly wait to tell Ellie and your siblings that you wanted to see a business for a _Star Wars'_ painting!"

Tim shrugged, "Not like they've never met me, Dad; no surprise I'm a geek."

His dad wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Aw, I'm teasing you a little, kiddo. I'm proud of you, including your geekiness!"

"If they had a mural of Gary Cooper or John Wayne in one of their famous movies, you'd be all over it. And I bet you have a photo stashed somewhere of the statue of John Wayne at the Orange County airport!"

Gibbs ruffled his hair, "Got me there!"

He paid for his books while Tim combed his hair. Leaving the bookstore, they were just getting into their rental vehicle when Dad's phone rang. It was Balboa, "Hate to ask but we've just landed what looks like a nasty case and could use some help from you two, although not out in the field."

Agreeing, the two returned to the NCIS office and after being read in to the multiple homicide, got to work. Although Tim's new CCU was up and running, he notified the manager that he would get started on the electronic work. While he did that, noticing how good it felt to work an actual case, Dad looked through the case notes. They had multiple crime scenes and were carefully sifting through their evidence to find any commonalities.

NCIS contracted with the Coroner's Lab, housed within the County Sheriff's Department, to handle their forensics. When the lab was alerted, a deputy sheriff quickly arrived to transport what they had. The evidence was transferred and would be transferred back to NCIS once everything was processed.

Tim dug deep to find everything he could on the victims and discovered what they had in common with each other. He and Dad put their heads together, agreeing on who the killer might be and the possible motive. Tim tracked the killer's movements that day and handed that information off to the team as well. They'd wait for the coroner and the lab for additional information. Balboa released them a little after 1800. Before they left the office, Tim sent everything he had to his new CCU manager in San Francisco, also updating the Cyber Crime and Field Team joint database.

By now, Tim was experiencing pain in his left hand and forearm. He'd never combined a book signing with working a case and he'd never do it again! Dad drove them to the hotel where they ordered dinner delivered from a Italian restaurant recommended by the entire Monterey NCIS team.

Told the delivery wouldn't arrive for an hour, Jethro helped his son soak his hand and got a bucket of ice for his forearm. When Tim said he also needed to soak his forearm, not just ice it, Jethro went to the front desk looking for a basin or something in which Tim could soak his arm. The kitchen staff came up with a large bowl that was the right size and close enough to the right shape. It had just come out of the dishwasher, so Jethro took it, thanking everyone for their help.

Tim sighed in relief as he lowered his forearm, from his elbow to his fingertips, into the bowl of icy water. "Wow, this feels good, Dad, thanks so much!"

"You're welcome, son, glad I could find something that helps. You're not doing any CCU work tomorrow, let your agents handle it, that's what you pay them for!" He shook his head, "I know, it was almost fun getting back into a case, I could see it on your face and I certainly enjoyed it. However, you said you didn't want to mix Thom and Tim on the same day because of the difference in personas and now you know it's far more than that!" He paused, "Kiddo, I would really like you to talk to your doctor about doing something about your arm and hand. As you get older, that's just going to get worse."

Tim nodded, "You're right and putting it off while I was in the field made sense, but that's been years now. No more excuses."

"Good! Now, is there anything I can do for tomorrow?"

"Mm, if you wouldn't mind stamping some of the books with my signature, then I'll only need to add a personal note."

"Of course! Will you take ibuprofen tonight and in the morning?"

Tim nodded, "Yes, although I'll take it tomorrow about a half hour before my first session."

"Two tomorrow and one on Saturday. You going to be able to get through?"

Tim tilted his head, thinking about it before saying, "Yes, it will be all right. I'll take it easy tomorrow and soak it for two hours between sessions and take the ibuprofen, it should be all right."

"And you won't do anything else with that hand, no work!"

"Right!"

He watched as his father carefully stamped several dozen books, which would really help. They stopped soaking and stamping when their dinner arrived, thoroughly enjoying the delicious Italian food, something Monterey was known for.

After they finished, they returned to soaking and stamping for another hour before turning in. Tim took a full dose of ibuprofen before he went to bed and slept soundly all night.

Friday morning, Jethro was quiet when he woke at his usual New Mexico time, wanting his son to get as much rest as they could. Tim woke about an hour later and the two of them walked to the café they'd found yesterday, once again enjoying the full breakfast.

When they returned to the hotel, Dad went for a swim while Tim was under firm orders to soak his hand and arm! He did so until Dad left, then checking the time, called the art gallery where they'd seen the clipper ship. Relieved they were open, he asked about the painting, glad to hear it hadn't yet been sold. Giving him the catalog number for it, they directed him to their secure website so he could purchase it online and have it shipped home. He had just finished that and logged off his laptop, stuck his hand and arm back in the soaking bowl when his father returned.

"That felt great! There's a hot tub, do you think that would help?"

Tim thought about it before shaking his head. "No, that's probably too hot. Maybe tonight. I'd like a swim, too."

"I'll take a quick shower and then get busy stamping more books while you get ready."

Tim nodded, rolling his neck. Dad made a noise before he gave him a long shoulder and neck rub. Tim nearly melted in the chair, that felt so good. He huffed, "Thanks, that's wonderful."

"Your neck and shoulders bother you a lot, don't they? Ever since I've known you."

"Yes, there's some residual damage from me bouncing on the pavement in the hit and run. They don't hurt like my hand and arm, they're more tired and a little achy. Ellie wants me to see a chiropractor and right now that sounds like a good idea."

His dad huffed, "You'll be a whole new person once your hand and arm are taken care of and your neck and back are tweaked, or whatever they do."

"I've had chiropractic work before, when I was at MIT. It was wonderful and really helped, covered under my student health insurance. Guess I should look for a good one at home."

"Can you get a referral from your doctor?"

"Maybe. If not, I'll ask Matt. With his specialty, I imagine he's familiar with the chiropractors in the area."

"Do you think he could fix your hand and arm?"

Tim chuckled, "Yes. We've talked about it a few times. He caught on the first time we met."

"Then now is the time, Elf Lord!"

Looking at the time, Tim chuckled, "You're right, we have plenty of time before we have to leave, I'll call him now."

He had to leave a message, but his brother-in-law returned his call within a few minutes. "You're ready to talk about your hand and arm? What happened?"

"I screwed up yesterday. I did a two hour book signing session and then Dad and I got called into the local NCIS office to help with a nasty case. So I never had time for my soak and then I was on the computer for a few hours. Last night it hurt worse than it has in years."

"Did you soak?"

"Yes, Dad got a big bowl from the front desk and I soaked my hand and arm, up to my elbow. I took ibuprofen before I went to bed and slept all night. I've been soaking it again this morning and I'll take more ibuprofen before the first session."

"First? How many today?"

"Two, a few hours apart, and then one tomorrow."

"You're home Sunday?"

"Sunday afternoon, yes."

"Ok, I want you in my office at 0800 Monday morning."

"Great, thanks, Matt. Uh, I was also going to ask if you could recommend a chiropractor for my neck and shoulders."

"Yes, I will but first I want to examine them, too."

"Great! I'll see you Monday morning."

Tim disconnected, put the appointment on his phone and sent a message to Pam Cook that he'd be in late Monday morning, had a medical appointment but he wasn't hurt or sick.

Dad huffed at that, "You're an Assistant Director, you should have your own assistant."

Tim grinned, "They would be bored stiff! I do my work online, Dad, and I don't have the number of meetings or phone calls that Leon does. Maybe down the line, but not now and Pam has promised to tell me if she's too busy with Leon's work. Hey, if there's time between sessions, I'd like to go see that mural today."

"Sure, after you soak and take more ibuprofen, or we could go after the second session."

"No, the building closes at 1800 and the Friday afternoon session usually runs till 1900."

"That's late!"

"It's effective though, we get a lot of people coming home from work. We only schedule that late during good weather and after Daylight Savings Time kicks in."

His shower felt good and his arm seemed fine as he got dressed. His hand was achier than it normally was his second day and he cursed himself for getting so carried away with the case yesterday. He took half a dose of ibuprofen when they got in the car, afraid he'd fall asleep if he took a whole dose!

The morning book signing session went very well and having the books pre-stamped really helped. The line was so long that when Tim took a break, he went outside to say hello to everyone. By the time he'd seen everyone, they were out of the pre-stamped books and Dad said he'd do more while Tim soaked his hand. They'd sold more than 350 of his books and those were all hand-signed.

As they walked out the backdoor of the bookshop, Dad shook his head, "You need a soak and a rest."

Tim nodded, his father was right as usual. He was disappointed about the mural but he'd look online to see if it was on there. He'd google the company.

Back at the hotel, Dad got busy with the stamp while Tim soaked his arm and hand, still using the big bowl from the hotel. Taking a break, they ate lunch out by the pool and then had a swim, which felt great. After another soak and more stamping, Tim shook his head, "Dad, we can't just stay in this room all afternoon!"

"How are your hand and arm?"

"As good as they're going to get. I'll take another ibuprofen before the session and another one during the session if it gets bad."

"All right. I've got all the books stamped. How about we go look at your mural and then take a walk on the beach?"

"Perfect!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

First dropping the books off at the bookstore, they followed the GPS on Tim's phone to find 'Wicket'. It was only a few blocks from the store. Parking the car, they walked toward the building, noticing a stream of people leaving. They kept going, only to be stopped at the door. "Sorry, we're closing early today."

"Oh, we're from out of town, we wanted to see the mural."

The security guard shook his head, "Maintenance needs extra time in there this weekend and Boss said it's better to close early on Friday then start late on Monday. We will be open Monday if you can come back. If you'll wait here, I'll get a brochure for you."

They agreed and he went inside, quickly returning with two brochures. "Here's one for each of you. It's a great mural, all the Star Wars' actors have been to see it and George Lucas has been several times. It's of the character Wicket in the forest of Endor and off to the right, bottom of the mural are three little kids watching. That's the boss and friends when he was a kid. It covers the whole wall, I hope you'll have time to see it!"

They nodded, thanking him and left. As they returned to the car, walking down the sidewalk amongst a crowd of Wicket employees, Jethro heard a voice saying in an amused voice, "I don't care who wants what! It's Timothy Andres' first game of the year tomorrow and I am not missing it, nor am I spending the entire game on the phone!"

He didn't say anything to his son but now he was curious. Last night, Tim told him about the significance of the name 'Wicket' to him and Patrick. "We loved the character and we really loved saying the name. The whole name is Wicket W. Warrick which was fun to say and it drove Natalie crazy, which made it even better. I'm glad someone else loves the name as much as we did!" And now, whoever had been speaking mentioned two names, Timothy Andres, that were also in the Gibbs-McGee family. Jethro remembered that 'Andres' was the Spanish form of Andrew and Maisie's late husband, Jim Hubbard's father, was named Andrew. As much as he was trying to ignore his own rule 39, 'there is no such thing as coincidence', his instincts were telling him something else.

When they got to the car, Tim laughed as he pulled his brochure out of his pocket and looked at the front, which had a photo of the front of the building with the company name and perhaps its logo. "Look at the way Wicket is written on the building!"

It looked like it had been written by a child with an oversized cursive upper case W followed by lower case letters, also in cursive, with an elongated "t" at the end. Underneath the name Wicket were two curved lines, resembling parentheses placed horizontally like lips, with a lower case 'v' between them at an angle, the point of the v facing outward. His dad hooked an eyebrow but didn't say anything. To Tim it looked like a stylized tongue stuck out of a mouth. Just like he and his brother used to do to Natalie, behind her back of course.

From there, they drove to the beach, grabbing hats, sunscreen and a couple of towels, knowing they'd want to stick their feet in the water. They both wore sneakers, with other shoes in the trunk. Although there was a little breeze, it felt good and the two men walked for two hours. Finding a bench, they sat and took their shoes off and rolled their pants legs up before wading a bit at the shoreline. After last summer's vacation in San Diego, both were expecting warm water and were in for a rude awakening! While the Pacific Ocean wasn't as chilly as the lake at Ruidoso, it was cold enough. Instead, they walked on the wet sand, letting an occasional wavelet catch their feet.

Tim had a plastic bag with him, picking up shells and other odds and ends he knew the kids would like. Jethro also had a plastic bag in which they collected trash as they went.

Feeling better after their walk and the fresh air, they carried their shoes back to the car and then dried their feet, dusting the sand off before slipping their sneakers back on. Tim decided he wasn't going to change into dressier shoes.

Stopping for an ice cream treat and two large coffees, they returned to the bookstore in time to get set up. Tim took his ibuprofen, chatting with the first few people in line as he got comfortable. The pre-stamped books were on the table nearest the line and he was at a second table with more books, his pen, a bottle of water and his coffee, which he'd topped off with a slightly less robust brew from the bookstore's coffeemaker.

After hanging around for a few minutes, Jethro took the rental back to Carmel to find the art gallery with the painting of the Clipper Ship. He found the gallery but was disappointed that the painting was no longer displayed in the window. As the gallery was open, he decided to see if it was elsewhere on the premises. Looking around, he finally found it, on an easel towards the back of the gallery. He sighed in disappointment when he saw the 'sold' sign below it. One of the gallery employees heard his sigh and stopped, "That's a wonderful painting, isn't it?"

"Yes, the gallery was closed the other day when I saw it in the window. I came back today hoping to buy it."

"Oh, that's too bad! To tell you the truth, it shouldn't have been sold at all, not yet. It's done in acrylics and acrylic paint takes time to thoroughly dry. The artist prefers to allow a solid month of drying time and this had only had 18 days before being sold. Would you like to see more of her work?"

"Sure!"

The woman smiled as she led him to another room in the gallery. "Of course, her most famous work is the Star Wars' themed mural in Monterey. Have you seen that?"

"No, unfortunately the company closed early yesterday and we're only here another day."

"Oh, that's a shame! However, it will still be here next time you visit."

He smiled before turning to the artist's other works. He saw a smaller painting he knew Shannon would love and after making sure it was ready to be sold, purchased it, shipping it home. It was small enough to fit in his sea bag but he decided having it professionally prepared, wrapped and shipped was a better idea.

He walked along the beach for an hour, he'd never get tired of the ocean, before it was time to return to Monterey. Although Tim should have been finished by the time he parked the car, there were still people in line, he estimated about 20, and each of them held a beverage cup in his or her hands. Remembering that Tim said the Friday afternoon sessions frequently ran over and that he usually provided beverages and/or treats for those in line, he entered the store, smiling at his son's fans. Walking to Tim's table, he scooted behind him to sit in another chair, as he'd done yesterday. Tim smiled at him and then grinned when one of the fans asked him who he was. With a quick smile, he replied, "Dad Gemcity". Those in earshot chuckled at that and Jethro heard his little quip being passed down the line.

When the last fan left, Tim sat back, wincing. Jethro took the heat pack and stuck it in the microwave, bringing it back in a coffee cup. He shook it out on the table before helping Tim wrap it around his wrist. When Tim sighed in relief, his dad shook his head sympathetically. "Are you going to be all right for tomorrow?"

Tim nodded, "Yes. As it's scheduled longer than the others, I build a 30 minute break into my schedule and I'll use the heat pack and have a quick soak."

"Will it go longer than it's supposed to, like tonight's?"

Tim shook his head. "No, this crowd is almost always the biggest, coming from work or school. Over the years I've learned that on Saturdays, people are like us, running errands and doing their weekly chores. If they're home, they don't want to leave. And if they're out and about, they just want to be done and get home to relax. They'll stop in but don't want to wait in long lines."

Jethro nodded, "I'm so proud of you! I listened to a few folks talking about your books and you. In fact, I asked a few if I could record their opinions to play for your brother, Jimmy and Abby when we see her."

"Aw, Dad, thanks! To tell you the truth, after the dialogue skit we did in the shelter, Tony finally read a couple of the books and liked them. And I was able to change Pimmy's weirdness from the first book into a kind of dream and Jimmy's forgiven me for that. Don't know about Abby but I don't think about it much anymore. Both Ellie and Bob love having their own characters."

His dad grinned, "As do I, Thom! It's especially good now to go back and read them and think about our team."

Tim nodded, "Helps me, too, when I get a little 'team-sick'." Pulling the heat pad off, he packed it away with everything else. Leaving the table and chairs as they were, they said goodnight to the staff as they left.

Back in their room, Tim got busy soaking his hand and arm while his dad gave his shoulders a good rubdown, applying the heat pack to them as well. They ordered their dinner from the same Italian restaurant they'd enjoyed previously, again splurging on delivery.

Saturday, Tim woke before his dad and, leaving a note, swam for a solid hour before he felt he'd made up for the hours of sitting. He noted the absence of the extra soreness in his left hand and forearm, generated by working online and signing books on Thursday. Back in their room, he found Dad reading a newspaper with a cup of coffee. "Have a good swim?"

"I did, swam enough to make up for so much sitting! And my hand, arm and shoulders feel better today, Dad, thanks! The heating pad and your shoulder massages really helped!"

"Good! You hungry?"

Tim chuckled, "Of course. I'll grab a quick shower, be right back!"

He was in, out and dressed within a few minutes and the two headed out to their breakfast café. After they ate, they drove to a parking area for the Monterey Peninsula Recreational Trail. This was an 18 mile coastal walk taking them over big and little rocks, experiencing ocean sprays on a boardwalk, past numerous birds, seals and sea lions, saw sea anemones at low tide and to their amazement, they saw two whales breaching just offshore! Managing to get a couple of fairly clear photos, they grinned at each other. They'd booked a whale watching tour early Sunday morning, before their flight home in the afternoon. They also walked below houses right on the coast, beautiful wildflowers, passed a marina full of sail and motorboats and sat on a bench to watch the waves crashing in. They walked on beaches, big and small, skirted around the rockier ones, saw scuba divers as they entered the water, admired all the pretty flowers, dodging the bikes, although no one was rude, and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. While they didn't cover the entire 18 miles, they enjoyed the ocean air, the views and the exercise.

Finally returning to the hotel, Tim got busy soaking his hand and arm again while the two men discussed a return trip with the family. Tim was all for it, although he said he and Ellie would wait until Jossey and Mackie were older, at least out of diapers.

Jethro shook his head, "We're in California this month, next month you'll be in Greece, Spain and the UK! I'm sure you'll have a chance to dip your toes into the Mediterranean!"

Tim chuckled, "I hope so! I'm excited about visiting all three offices – and their host countries. I really don't know much about Rota, or Spain, aside from our base there."

"It's beautiful, you'll love the architecture of the city. Remember your history, the Crusaders fighting to drive the Moors out. What was left behind is a wonderful mix of architecture. I don't know about the culture, I was never there long enough." He chuckled, "Just long enough to leave the base, see some of the city and eat some authentic Spanish food. It was wonderful!"

Tim huffed, "I read that the people called "Moors" in our history books were really Muslims from North Africa. They captured the Iberian peninsula early in the 8th century and were there until the 15th century. I imagine the culture is also a mix."

Gibbs shook his head, "It never ceases to amaze me how much you read!"

Laughing, Tim said, "It's not whole books, a lot of it is articles I read online or in magazines. The one about the Moors came from National Geographic. I get curious about things and I look them up, either online or in other references. At some point, I realized that other than those connected to the Crusades, I'd never heard of any people called the 'Moors' and went looking. Turns out people referred to as 'Moors' were also involved on the side of Franco during the Spanish Civil War. Those people were from Morocco, don't know about the 'Moors' during the Crusades."

Tim's last book signing session went very well with more of a crowd than he expected. He was glad he'd scheduled his break, he really needed it. At the end of his session, one last person dashed in just as he started to pack up. "I'm sorry I'm late, do you have time for one more, please?"

He smiled, "Sure! Is this for you?"

"It's for my husband, for his birthday. His name is Patrick."

Tim ignored the familiar twinge of grief he always felt when he heard the name of his long dead brother. "Do you want me to wish him a happy birthday?"

"Yes, thank you so much! Oh, you have your newest one too! Uh…"

He chuckled, "I'll be happy to sign that, too. Is that also for Patrick?"

"No, this one will be for our daughter Sara, no 'h'."

Smiling, he wrote a little note to 'Sara with no h', doing his best to ignore the coincidence of a Patrick and Sara, even without the 'h', in the same family. He huffed to himself, with nearly 400 million people in the U.S., that coincidence could be reduced to a statistical probability.

While the woman paid the cashier for both books, Tim nodded to his father who'd come to collect him. He didn't want to pack up until the woman left, so the two men chatted quietly until she exited the shop.

The manager came out, "Congratulations, for your three days of aching hands, we've sold over a thousand books! That's excellent, thank you! When are you coming back?"

Tim chuckled, "That's great, I had a wonderful time meeting everyone. As for returning, I have no idea."

"I know, I was just kidding although you are welcome here anytime."

"Thanks! My dad and I have had a lot of fun, experiencing as much of the area as we could and catching up with an old friend. We're going whale watching tomorrow before we leave."

"And this is the absolute best place to do that – enjoy!"

Tim's hand was so sore that Jethro had to carry everything to the car but Tim himself was in good spirits. They were meeting Balboa and his wife for dinner on the Wharf that evening but there was plenty of time first for soaking, icing and probably a swim.

After tending to his hand, arm and shoulders, Tim decided he'd rather have a nap than another swim. Kicking his shoes off, he stretched out on the bed and was asleep in minutes.

Finding the pool sparsely populated, Jethro swam for about 45 minutes and then sat in a lounge chair in the sun to dry off. Remembering Tim wanted to look at a couple of things before they met the Balboas for dinner, he woke him when he returned to their room.

After both men had showers, they dressed, taking light jackets with them as they headed back to Fisherman's Wharf. Meeting the Balboas at the restaurant, they enjoyed catching up with Mai Balboa, whom they hadn't seen since the last agency Christmas party in 2018, months before the Evacuation and Attack. She hugged both of them, very happy to see old friends from home. The four exchanged stories of their new lives and how much they still missed their old ones.

Tim shook his head, "I hadn't thought about it but only my two eldest children have any memories of DC. Not just our house and their grandparents' house but the parks, the monuments and the museums. Lia wasn't even a year old when we left, we didn't meet Henry until after we left the shelter and Mackie and Jossey are both post-Attack babies, although Ellie was pregnant with Mackie, he was born weeks after we left the shelter."

"It's so sad that it's all gone."

Jethro nodded and then smiled, "Not for long. We hear there is discussion in Congress about rebuilding some of the monuments in the same area. The Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Wall and the Korean Memorial are some of the ones under discussion. However, some of our kids suggested there be a museum with virtual tours of everything that was there instead of rebuilding them all. And then build anything new, or recreated, in New Washington."

Al smiled, "I like that, moving forward while remembering our past."

"One of the suggestions for the virtual tours is to ask for copies of people's photos of the monuments, museums, the Capitol building, the White House, etc. They'd mix those in with the formal photos. They want to make a worldwide request to send photos and videos of anything in DC, whatever the subject."

"That's a great idea, ties everything back to all of us and our history as well as to visitors from other countries."

Tim nodded, "It would also include protests, marches, tent cities, parades, funerals, anything that people and the news media have."

Their meals were delicious, Tim had a wonderful shrimp dish while Jethro enjoyed a 'catch of the day' meal. After they finished eating, they moved out onto the deck over the bay where they had coffee and adult beverages. After a relaxing evening catching up with old friends, the Gibbses said goodnight, returning to the hotel where Tim nearly fell into bed.

Up early Sunday morning, they packed everything but their swimsuits and clothes for the flight home. After a light breakfast, they grabbed their jackets and caught a ride back to the Wharf, excited about the prospect of seeing more whales. Making sure Tim had extra ginger root in case of rough water, they boarded their tour boat and laughed to themselves when it took them close to where they'd seen the whales the day before. They saw several whales including a few friendly ones who played around the boat. The tour was fun and the two men enjoyed themselves, promising each other they'd do this again, in San Diego with their family.

Back at the hotel, they had time for a last swim and showers before they'd need to leave for the airport. The swim felt great, helping Tim work out the last of the aches and pains from the book signing sessions. They laughed at themselves as they left the hotel room to check out, their carry-on bags were stuffed full!

Driving from Monterey back to the airport in San Francisco, they returned their rental, making sure they had everything. From San Francisco, they flew home, smiling when they reached Baggage Claims, very happy to see their wives waiting for them. As much fun as they'd had, they'd fiercely missed their partners!


End file.
